JJ Maybank awoke alone, his tired eyes slowly opening to see the empty area where June usually was. It was fairly early in the morning, the sun was just rising, and for a moment he considered going back to sleep and just ignoring her absence. But he wanted to hold her, he wanted to be near her and breathe her in and feel her skin, so he sat up, rubbing at his eyes and looking around. JJ stretched his arms above his head, yawning as the sound of the waves carried through the wind.

Finally he stood, deciding to not put his shirt back on and instead going on his search. He looked around for a few minutes, seeing that mostly everyone was asleep still. There were a few people missing, Pope, June obviously, and Tyler. There was the sound of voices that he picked up, and the closer he got he realized who was speaking. He would recognize her voice anywhere.

JJ approached the two in the grass, Pope talking with his back to the blonde boy,  June sitting in front of him. Her dark hair brushed across her shoulders and her face was full of concentration, whatever he was talking about—she was invested. He watched as her eyes lit up when she noticed him approaching,  dropping over his body and his lack of a shirt and then going back to Pope.

"Alright big man...give her back to me." JJ said on approach, Pope looking up at him with disappointment in his eyes.

"We're talking." The Heyward boy said, gesturing between the two of them as he looked up at JJ. June nodded at her boyfriend, her lips parting to speak and catching his attention.

"Yeah we're talking." JJ sighed, shaking his head and then gesturing towards their sleeping area.

"But I cant go back to sleep without you. Why cant you talk later?"

"Why can't you learn patience?" Pope said in a snappy tone, and June couldn't help but giggle at their exchange. JJ looked back at Pope with furrowed eyebrows, wondering why he couldn't just have her back and they could talk later.

"Go on JJ...I'll be there eventually." She said, using her hand to shoo him again. The boy put his hands on his hips, shaking his head as him and Pope glared at each other. She looked between the two, waiting for one to crack and then hearing Pope sigh.

"We can just talk later. Go with this drama queen. I need to try and sleep anyways." He had pushed himself up from the ground and started off before she could even protest, JJ getting a triumphant look on his face. He took a few steps closer to her, offering his hand which she was glad to take. He pulled her up, putting his arm over her shoulder and walking her back to where he came from.

"Why are you up so early?" June asked, looking up at him with a smile on her lips. She wasn't upset about seeing him at all, it was just sooner than she had expected.

"Well I was laying there and I could feel that the body of my super smoking hot future wife was not there. Why were you up so early?" June never wanted to admit she was having nightmares to JJ, she wanted things between them to be as good as they possibly could at all times. So bringing Rafe up, bringing him back into the equation over and over again, that wouldn't help them. JJ hated Rafe, got angry at the mention of him, even just the insinuation of him. There was no reason to upset him so early in the morning. She didn't like talking about him anyways.

"I just—I thought I heard something in the middle of the night. Spooked me a little bit y'know?" She explained, and nodded along to what she was saying. They returned to their designated sleeping area, JJ dropping his arm from her shoulders to her side and then grabbing her hips and standing behind her. He slid his arms around her, pressing a tender kiss to her shoulder and making her smile.

"I love sleeping with you."

"Yes I know." She laughed out, knowing what he meant but choosing to be dirty. He shook his head, pressing another kiss against her shoulder and then speaking.

"I definitely love sleeping with you." He went along with her joke, the boy turning her around and giving her a raised eyebrow look. She didn't seem to oppose what he was suggesting, the boy pressing a kiss to her lips. It was short,  and she loved it, the girl feeling her cheeks brighten from his affection. "I am still tired though."

"Me too."  She said as she pushed some hair behind his ear, a contented smile on her lips. JJ looked at her just as meaningfully as he always did, the boy taking her hands in his and then getting down on his knees. When he looked up at her she felt her breath catch, her stomach twist at the sight of him. He wrapped his arms around her, his eyes glued to hers. He had done this move a lot lately, to show his undying devotion to her, to show her that he worships the ground she walks on. She knit her fingers into his hair, the intimacy of the moment becoming so stark and intense, that she was almost afraid to break it.

"Let's go back to bed." She whispered down to him, and he nodded. He pulled her down, his fingers never leaving her skin as they settled back in together. There was silence for a few moment, and JJ took this as the opportunity to just take her in. He loved looking at her. He loved the way that his heart itched and ached for her at every moment. He couldn't see around or through her, there was no other road for him. June was everything. While everyone on the island missed their families secretly and home and what they could be doing, JJ was unsurprisingly content with his situation. He knew what he was getting into when he climbed on that boat to save her, and he would do it a thousand times over if it meant he got to spend even a moments worth of time with her. She fiddled with the strings of the bracelet he stole from her bedroom when he thought she was gone, her perfect lips lifted up into a small smile as she thought about where he got it from. He was content with being here. He had his friends, he had June, this island might as well be home. He needed nothing else.

"What are you thinking about?" She broke the silence, and JJ broke out of his trance to give her a small chuckle. His hair was slightly covering his eyes and she glanced over at him just to see what he would say.

"A cheeseburger." The thought of it made her close her eyes, her stomach growling as she imagined a cheeseburger.

"God that sounds amazing. With pickles. God JJ, I want one so bad." She said, the boy nodding along to her words as he smiled.

"When we get back that's the first thing we'll do." He said, and she laughed a little at that. It's not that it was an empty promise, but nobody knew how long it was going to be till they went home.

"Do you think it's crazy that everybody in the world is under the same sky?" It was a subject change, the girl looking at JJ expectantly, waiting for his answer.

"Not crazy at all. We are all just little tiny specks on a huge planet in a huge solar system in a huge galaxy."

"I've never thought about it that way."

"I've been trying to tell everybody. My own personal doctrine. In the end nothing we do really matters, so why don't we just do whatever we want." His argument was actually valid, and June furrowed her eyebrows as he looked up at the sky with her.

"That's actually...a really good point." She said, and he smiled, his eyes glued above him.

"I might be an idiot but that doesn't mean there's not stuff jumping around in here." He brought his finger up to the side of his head, the girl scoffing and pushing his hand down.

"You're not an idiot." She mused and he gave her a side eye but did not argue. He knew what people thought of him, he was the idiot, the loose cannon, the one who never thought about the consequences of their actions. Not the brightest. He knew, but he didn't argue. "No I'm serious JJ...you think you're dumb but you're not. You've make good plans, you contribute to problem solving and you're in conversations and you're smart enough to know what's good for you and what's not. Stop saying you're an idiot. I don't think you should insult yourself."

"Sorry." He was rather surprised by how much it irked her, she sounded so genuine and so sweet. The question was, was she correct? Did he know what was best for him?

"Don't apologize. I'm not upset with you. I just wish you could see yourself the way I see you." She said, and he was appreciative of her words. He could only imagine how she saw him through her eyes.

"Weren't we supposed to be asleep?" He asked after a few moments of silence, and she laughed a little against his bare chest.

"I don't want to sleep anymore, I just want to spend time with you." His heart fluttered when she said it, JJ pressing a kiss to the side of her head and smiling.

"Wanna play a game?"

"What game?" She asked curiously, and he was quick to answer.

"Truth or truth."

"So just talk?" She laughed, and he shook his head.

"No it's a game, it's less fun if it's not." He whined, June rolling her eyes and then giving in to what he wanted to do.

"Fine, let's play."

"Okay, great. I'll go first. Okay—fuck marry kill....Ward, John B, Shoupe?" She gave him a disgusted look, her lip curled up as she thought about her choices. Talking about Ward was easy when Sarah  and John B weren't around. The man didn't mean as much to them as he did to the others.

"God that's gross..." She pushed herself up a little bit, her hand holding her head up as she turned on her side to look at him. "I'll say...marry John B because of course. He's the best option I guess. Kill Ward, fuck Shoupe. Gross."

JJ laughed a little at the confession, his lips turning up into a grin as he gestured towards her for her turn.  She thought for a moment, her eyes trained on the area around them as she tried to come up with a question.

"Is it true that you have kissed a guy before?" JJs answer was fast, the boy quick to make her laugh.

"Oh yeah. Definitely. You think I hang around JB and Pope and never lay one on them every once in awhile? That's how you show love to your brothers baby...gotta give them a kiss. If I'm feeling extra frisky I'll give Pope a slap on the ass. He loves it." She laughed as she pictured it, JJ admiring her as she did. He felt his heart contract and he aches to be closer to her, so he dropped his fingers to her leg, dragging them up and down the skin there.

"Alright alright. Your turn."

"If you had to choose anyone else on this island to sleep with...who would it be?" She noticed a pattern in his questions, and she silently wondered if he was trying to insinuate something.  His eyes fixated on her lips, and she spoke so that it would tease him.

"Honest answer?" She said, and he was so entranced by watching her that all he could do was nod. She loved how soft he looked right now, so completely under her control and so dreadfully vulnerable that her heart agonized over him. "Its either Pope or Cleo. Dead serious."

"Pope? Really?" JJ asked, surprised by her response.

"Yes JJ, Pope. He is literally a total package. And don't even get me started on Cleo...she had amazing skin, beautiful face, the best bod-"

"Okay I get it." He said in a stern-ish voice,  making her laugh.

"You're jealous of Cleo? I love that. Honestly why are you surprised by that answer?"

"I thought you were gonna say John B." JJ said, and she quickly shook her head.

"If I was given the option of anyone in the group and you're not included...I'd definitely not choose John B. He's not even close to the top of the list."

"Well what's the list?"

"Pope, Cleo, Sarah, Tyler, John B, Kie. That's the list." JJ was stunned by how quick it came up with it, also surprised by Kie being last. Tyler being so close to the top kind of annoyed him, but Pope literally being first didn't phase him at all. "What about you?"

"Nah, I haven't thought about it." JJ admitted, and she was quick to roll her eyes.

"Come on tell me. I won't get mad." Her saying she wouldn't get mad wasn't too reassuring, but he continued in anyways, knowing that she'd just keep asking if he didn't.

"I—I don't know. I guess I'll say uh...Kie, Sarah, Pope, Cleo, John B, Tyler." Kie being his first choice stung her, but she had said she wouldn't get mad so she just nodded.

"Pope above Cleo?"

"I don't know her that well, and Pope is pretty hot. So yknow...it is what it is." She smiled at his response, pushing away the thoughts is Kie and then pressing closer to him.  "Alright your tu—"

She cut him off by kissing him, the boy quickly giving into it. His eyes remained open for a moment just so he could admire her a touch longer. He closed them, his hand sneaking it's way into her hair.  Her lips moved against him and she  pushed her tongue into his mouth for just a second before  pulling away all together, just giving him a taste. His eyes remained closed as he savored her kiss, the boy letting out a small hum of appreciation.

"Let's get some rest."